Cypriot Saint’ s Tomb Eroded by Love Potions

Unhappy lovers in Cyprus are removing so much stone from the tomb of poor Saint Agapitikos to use in love potions that soon nothing will remain. Read on for more details, but consider other ingredients for your own elixir.

According to news sources, those unhappy in love have been using dust from the grave in the courtyard of the church in the village of Arodes in the Paphos district of Nicosia for centuries. It is added to the drink of the object of someone’s affection and, it is said, works as a love potion. In recent years however, so many people have stolen shards of stone for their own private use that one-quarter of the tomb has disappeared, gone with the wind, passed go and collected $200 dollars, etc, etc.

The mayor of Arodes, Matthaios Stefanou, had this to say:

“A lot of people have said it works. In the last few years I don't know what's come over people, but they are flocking to the tomb for the stuff. Just the other day, locals saw some people visiting the tomb, and they were there for a very long time. In the end, they walked off with a huge chunk of stone, maybe even half a kilo of it!”

Saint Agapitikos, whose name means “lover,” is believed to have served in the German army of the Crusaders before settling as a hermit in Cyprus.

The island's antiquities department has been called in to help.

The mayor warned:

“You're very welcome to come and see the tomb, but please don't go taking any of it with you now.”

The paths of true love seldom run smoothly. Nothing’s wrong with getting a little help in that department but the poor saint soon will have no resting place.

Maybe these sad lovers should give chemistry with a dash of communication a chance?